Have You Heard of the Flat Lay or Boho Design Trends?

You’ve probably seen Flat Lay designs, even if you haven’t heard the term. Flat Lay design refers to a shot of items lying flat on a table, floor or other surface, shot from above. You see these kinds of images on eCommerce sites and other websites frequently. The Flat Lay design trend is up 160 percent according to the just-released Creative Trends 2016 report by Shutterstock.

This fascinating report outlines a number of other visual and creative trends that Shutterstock predicts will be popular during 2016.

If you’re looking for design ideas for your website, social media headers, advertisements or other graphics — this is one report you need to check out.

Here’s another insight from the report. Have you heard of the Boho trend? Boho is short for Boho-chic, which refers to Bohemian or hippie design according to Wikipedia. Boho refers to swirling, feathery, often flowery patterns and imagery. Think of that old Bohemian style skirt that women wore during the Woodstock era. (And for those of you younger than that … come on, you’ve seen a picture at least!)

The Creative Trends report covers images, but it also points to cultural and technology trends. For instance, the choice of images that people make indicates that there’s a lot of interest right now in certain tech phenomena. Did you know that images of smart watches are up a whopping 900 percent? And images of drones are up 181 percent. Those tech phenomena and more are obviously popular subjects of discussion and interest.

The report is based on data gathered by Shutterstock. According to Flo Lau, the Marketing Digital Designer at Shutterstock, that data can be used to predict the popularity of certain design trends in the coming year. Lau acknowledged that it’s risky to make predictions. However, based on the considerable data the company has collected, she said Shutterstock expressed confidence that these will be the design trends during 2016, noting:

“Luckily Shutterstock uses data to make our predictions. With information gathered from millions of searches and downloads, our annual Creative Trends infographic shows what’s on the rise around the world. From global trends to local developments, it’s an in-depth look at how the creative world will look in 2016.

Expect to see a mix of opposites this year: the latest technology and the natural world, clean lines and intricate patterns, the old and the new.”

Anita Campbell is the Founder and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses, and also serves as CEO of TweakYourBiz.com.

One Reaction

I think these are trending because they are visually appealing. I personally find Boho designs to be beautiful in images. The lace is great to look at in layering. And it looks simple and organic yet beautiful at the same time.

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